Serve was quite the week. For the longest time, Jacob and I referred to it as "Last week". I'm so glad that it was not just last week, though, because that would mean I would still be in this place of limbo and confusion and honestly a really good place. It just is now in the past and I can't be mad about that!
Even though I was on the Serve Host Team, I still had to work that week. Every day, I would get up at 6am as usually, and head to work. I'd spend my day working at my physical labour job in the greenhouse. By lunchtime, Jacob would have sent me his ideas for that night's worship session, which I would read and then spend the afternoon thinking about and praying over as I worked. After work, I would run out the back door to my boss's parent's house, where I would shower before dashing to my car and driving straight to church. Once at church, Jacob and I would meet in the sanctuary where his youngest sister, Arabella, would bring me a much-needed coffee. Jacob and I would talk and pray about the session that night, and make our final plans on the songs, readings, and such. My job after this was always to write out and photocopy the order of worship for each member of our team, so I would head down to the office.
Monday was the Serve team's first day of working, and they all started to trickle back as I was photocopying the order of worship. The door they entered was right by the office, so I greeted them as they entered. Just as I finished, Raymond and his van-full of students arrived back, and I stopped to chat with some of the girls about their day. Raymond was there, as well, and we ended up chatting for awhile before I went back upstairs.
We ate dinner shortly afterwards, followed of course by the second worship session. The official evening ended with the worship team gathering as our small group to debrief and pray together. We did this every night, and it was such a precious time during the week. It's still a cherished memory of the Serve week!
After small group, a few of us inevitably ended up gathered in the fellowship hall, chatting. And Raymond came upstairs. That first evening of talking, there was a group of us. Me, Jacob, a few members of the worship team, and a couple other members of the host team. We all talked and laughed and finally split to go home and to bed.
And that became the routine of the week. Work, planning, talking to Raymond as he arrived back at church. Dinner, worship, and small group. And then, after the official part of the day was over, talking with Raymond, Jacob, and occasionally one or two others. It seemed that every evening, it was one less person and we talked longer and longer, until Thursday night it was just Jacob, Raymond and I talking. until one in the morning. Jacob fell asleep at one point, and when we woke him up to tell him to go to bed (he was sleeping at church all week), he insisted that we all head downstairs. Little did I know that all week, Jacob could sense a spark between the two of us, and he was intentionally chaperoning us.
Until Friday night.
Friday was the last night of Serve. The Edmonton team was leaving for the airport at 3:30 in the morning. So after one final evening of worship, the whole worship team was invited to stay and play games and hang out with the Edmonton team. None of them were planning on going to bed that night, so it was an all-nighter of fun.
I'm not a game person. So although I participated in the first one, when everyone went upstairs to play "Battleship" in the sanctuary, I dipped out, heading to the prayer chairs, located in a dim corner of the fellowship hall. I walked, hoping that Raymond would follow so we could talk, and he did not disappoint.
We spent the rest of the night upstairs, talking. About everything and everything. Until 3 in the morning, when he had to go and pack up, we talked. Long after everyone else went back downstairs to play other games, we talked. Alone for the first time.
At one point, Raymond asked me for my number, and he texted me so we could stay in contact. At the end of the night, he asked if we could hug. And we did, my head fitting perfectly under his chin. We went downstairs, had an awkward public goodbye with everyone, and we all went outside to our cars. Raymond and the rest of the Edmonton team piled into their vans and drove away.
And just like that, the longest, most exhausting, thrilling, and amazing week of my life was over. And Raymond, the most intriguing, kind, sensitive guy I'd ever met, the man I was drawn to the entire week, was gone.
Blessings,
Katie
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